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Title 43 — Public LandsRelease 119-73

§545 Appointment of agents to receive payments; record of payments and amounts owing

Title 43 › Chapter CHAPTER 12— - RECLAMATION AND IRRIGATION OF LANDS BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER XIV— - PATENTS AND FINAL WATER-RIGHT CERTIFICATES › § 545

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior can choose bonded fiscal agents or Reclamation Service officers for each reclamation project to receive payments for reclamation entries or water rights. Those officials must keep a public record showing what was paid and what is still owed on any entry or water-right purchase under the Reclamation Act. The Secretary must provide authenticated copies of those records for a reasonable fee, and those copies can be used as evidence the same as copies certified under section 888 of the Revised Statutes.

Full Legal Text

Title 43, §545

Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to designate such bonded fiscal agents or officers of the Reclamation Service as he may deem advisable on each reclamation project, to whom shall be paid all sums due on reclamation entries or water rights, and the officials so designated shall keep a record for the information of the public of the sums paid and the amount due at any time on account of any entry made or water right purchased under the reclamation Act; and the Secretary of the Interior shall make provision for furnishing copies of duly authenticated records of entries upon payment of reasonable fees which copies shall be admissible in evidence, as are copies authenticated under section eight hundred and eighty-eight 11 See References in Text note below. of the Revised Statutes.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The reclamation Act, referred to in text, is identified in section 541 of this section as act June 17, 1902, ch. 1093, 32 Stat. 388, popularly known as the Reclamation Act, which is classified generally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 371 of this title and Tables. Section eight hundred and eighty-eight of the Revised Statutes, referred to in text, was repealed by section 21 of act June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 862, the first section of which enacted Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure. Prior to repeal, R.S. § 888 was classified to section 669 of former Title 28, Judicial Code and Judiciary. For provisions relating to admissibility in evidence of authenticated copies, see section 1733 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Executive Documents

Change of Name

The Reclamation Service, established in July 1902, changed to the Bureau of Reclamation on
June 20, 1923, then to the Water and Power Resources Service on Nov. 6, 1979, and then to the Bureau of Reclamation on
May 18, 1981. See 155 Dep’t of the Interior, Departmental Manual 1.1 (2008 repl.); Sec’y Hubert Work, Dep’t of the Interior, Order (
June 20, 1923); Sec’y Cecil D. Andrus, Dep’t of the Interior, Secretarial Order 3042, §§ 1, 4 (Nov. 6, 1979); Sec’y James G. Watt, Dep’t of the Interior, Secretarial Order 3064, §§ 3, 5 (
May 18, 1981).

Transfer of Functions

For

Transfer of Functions

of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of the Interior, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Interior, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1262, set out under section 1451 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

43 U.S.C. § 545

Title 43 — Public Lands

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73